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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: can · bark · fine · sharp · band · pitcher · firm · game

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. can — a tin
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. fine — all right
  10. game — a match
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. band — a ring
  13. can — to be able to
  14. fine — high quality
  15. can — a tin
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. band — a music group
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bark — to shout
  22. game — wild animals
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — steady

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com